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The Best Steakhouses in the South Bay of Los Angeles

The steakhouse is one of the most obvious examples of an All-American dining experience. Oversized wedges of iceberg lettuce dressed in bacon bits and cream; jumbo shrimp accompanied by horseradish-heavy cocktail sauce; and of course, proper portions of protein, seared as you like. It’s a national tradition embraced for generations, we are merely reliving it - frequently, with any luck. In L.A., that’s never been easier than right now. The steakhouse is enjoying a revival, of sorts. Despite the city’s supposed love of kale salads and green drinks, the Southern California carnivore is by no means neglected here. This is true throughout L.A. County. Most notably, the South Bay is peppered with an impressive assortment of cattle cutleries, both old and new, classic and modern. It’s senseless to value one over the other - best to enjoy them all. Let this definitive list be your guide.

Fleming's Prime Steakhouse & Wine Bar - El Segundo

Yes, Fleming's Prime Steakhouse & Wine Bar is a chain. But that does nothing to diminish the significance nor elegance of this El Segundo beef bastion. Their dry-aged ribeye is legendary, but if you really want to gild the lilly, own the upcharge and top your steak with a seafood companion. Truffle-poached lobster with béarnaise sauce and caviar, or the jumbo lump crabmeat - Oscar style with béarnaise sauce - it’s impossible to find fault in either choice. Huge sides to share are the name of the game at any Fleming’s. Their gently-crusted onion rings are a signature item, stacked half a foot high on the plate. Sure, they demand a lot of attention, but the spicy Thai green beans are where it’s at. The desserts, particularly a jaw-dropping chocolate soufflé, are the way all great meals should conclude. Who cares if there’s dozens of them scattered about the country. You’re here now, in El Segundo. And that’s all that matters.

The Arthur J

David LeFevre is the hardworking chef behind MB Post and Fishing With Dynamite. LeFevre brings modern steakhouse cuisine to Manhattan Beach at The Arthur J, his jazzier sendup of an American classic. The kitchen's playful approach is immediately apparent, witnessed through the opening act: a piping-hot Emmental popover served with strawberry butter. From there, you’ll tackle other memorable mashups, like the Swedish meatballs with cranberry-kumquat preserves, or the unctuous bone marrow-topped focaccia, sweetened with a bacon onion jam. Although it’ll likely induce sticker shock, the 40 oz. tomahawk legitimizes its $148 price. With a show-stopping slab of meat affixed to the curved end of a foot-long bone, it’s hard to resist the urge to attack it as a caveman would. Top it with seared foie gras, and you’re plumbing unchartered depths of decadence. And if you're going to go large, you might as well have The Boss - a Dirty Martini with dill infused No. 3 London Dry Gin, Champagne Brine, gruyere & mascarpone stuffed olives.

JW's Steakhouse

This unsung hero is located at the Los Angeles Airport Marriott. Seven separate cuts of antibiotic free, sustainably-sourced California beef anchor the menu in all their magnificent, char-grilled glory. Candlelit booths frame an elegant, open kitchen that also excels at several other steakhouse specialities, namely a wedge salad, featuring Stilton bleu cheese and ripened grape tomatoes under a balsamic glaze; and a slightly salty carpaccio of beef, bedazzled with arugula, capers, and shaved Parmesan. An important note: don’t skip out on the sauces. All steaks are sidekicked by your choice of hollandaise, creamed horseradish, au poivre, compound butter, or the most savory of the bunch, wild mushroom.

Steak & Whisky

What else is there, really? No faulty advertising here. As billed, you get peerless cuts of protein in a quaint eatery just a few blocks from the Hermosa Pier. Being so close to the water, S+W provides ample attention to the seafood - Hamachi Tiradito with corn salsa, and golden-seared scallops in squid ink are both standouts on the appetizer menu. As for the turf, there are half a dozen choices of prime, all dry-aged for 30 days, in addition to American and Japanese Wagyu. The 25 oz. porterhouse is king, and ready to share. An emphasis is placed on the sensational sides, broken down by starch and vegetable. From the former, you’ll want the cauliflower risotto; from the latter, the pan fried brussels, studded with thick cut bacon and wild mushrooms. When it comes to the brown stuff, an efficiently curated drink program showcases speciality whiskies - foreign and domestic - as effectively as bars twice its size.

Zane's

Part steakhouse, part Italian restaurant, Zane’s in Hermosa Beach excels at both in equal measure. Their signature dish, the Seafood Ciopinno, is tough to resist - split it with your dining partner as an appetizer. And save room for the entree: a 16 oz. chunk of marvelously-marbled Angus beef. The herb-brushed, bone-in ribeye offers full flavor from the outside in. It is joined on the table by your choice of two sides - pan roasted cauliflower and sautéed spinach bringing out the best the steak has to offer. And you know what makes it all even tastier? No corkage fee.

THE BULL PEN

Family owned since 1948, the interior of The Bull Pen doesn’t feel like it’s changed all that much in the subsequent decades. Their trademark Coulotte Steak is a beautiful, 10 oz. sirloin plated under a layer of savory, sautéed mushrooms. It’s a veritable steal at $29; closer to the city, most high end steakhouses would charge double that for a similar slice of meat. Another winner is their Cajun style filet mignon, with a touch of Southern spice and an expertly-charred exterior. It’s not exactly the sort of steakhouse that requires a jacket and tie, but that’s a good thing. The vibe here evokes a throwback lounge, nostalgia for a bygone era. With heaping portions and significant value, that sort of longing is difficult to resist.

THE SAN FRANCISCAN

Yet another traditional, all-American example to make this list. A single dinner at The San Franciscan is all that’s required to know how they’ve remained a local fixture in Torrance for more than 50 years. The no frills, straight-forward menu features seven beef choices, all charbroiled, hand-cut and trimmed on premise every day. Their speciality is prime rib, just like your mom used to make - if your mom was insanely awesome. Bright red and fatty, the thick slice of beef is bathed in its juices, plated with a ramekin of creamed horseradish and a tinfoil wrapped baked potato. This is unapologetic, old-school meat-eating. #SorryNotSorry. If you’re feeling extra saucy, save room for after-dinner karaoke, offered Tuesday through Thursday from 9 p.m. to close.

555 East Steakhouse

A Long Beach staple for decades, 555 East is as classic an example of an American Steakhouse as you’ll find anywhere. Featuring wood and leather decor, prime beef like whoa, and an exhaustive wine list, it’s easy to envision the Rat Pack out of the corner of your eye, yucking it up at a nearby table. The restaurant focuses on USDA Prime - hand cut, and corn-fed beef, specially dry-aged for upwards of a month. You don’t want to veer too far from the staples here: a table-side Caesar for two; jumbo lump crab cake, heavy on crab, light on filler; and their hallmark bone-in filet mignon. Renowned for its tender juiciness, filet is rarely served on the bone. After an experience with their 14 oz. offering, you’re left wondering why not. Top it with a housemade brandy peppercorn sauce, and all is right in the world. Especially when it's backed by their proper, copper-mugged Moscow Mules.

Chianina Steakhouse

Opened in December 2013, Chianina Steakhouse is a Long Beach favorite inspired by Italian sensibilities, from the sides - Gratin potatoes thickened with Grand Padano Cheese, carbonara risotto - to the main event, a masterfully-charred cut of Piedmontese beef. The interior leans on modern design while avoiding pretentiousness. A sleek bar pours selections from a comprehensive list of Italian wines, most of which were selected specifically to pair with the restaurant’s wide array of hearty proteins. Combine these flavors into one with the beef short rib, simmered in a Pinot Noir reduction. It's melt-in-your-mouth tenderness, generously portioned. Chianina is a welcome addition to a neighborhood hungry for more high-end dining destinations.

Phil Trani's

It's not necessarily a dedicated steakhouse per se, but why get bogged down in technicalities? Phil Trani’s brandishes a unique decor - its walls are decked out in a trove of sports memorabilia, while weekend hours are enlivened by song and dance. But it also carries a sensational selection of steaks, and based on value alone, deserves inclusion on this list. Shrimp cocktail, plump and fresh as nature allows, and a textbook take on a Cobb Salad are all sensible preludes to the main course of meat. It’s hard to go wrong with any of their cuts, but the charbroiled Center Filet Cabernet merits singular praise. Topped with melted blue cheese and glazed in a thick reduction of oaky red wine, it’s as good a steak as you’ll find in L.A. County for under $30.